View Full Version : Thin coat or skin condition?
O_Troubles
Aug 4, 2010, 10:31 PM
I have a treeing walker coonhound, she was going to be put down before I got her, she has some anxiety but not constant. She just barks at new people and gets stressed when strangers approach her but I don't know if her nerves have anything do do with her hair. She has very thin hair and when we go on walks I use a choke collar to correct her if she pulls or barks and it leaves a spot on her neck without hair. She's almost to and you can see her puppy spots on her nose still and her whole underbelly is pink the hair there is crazy thin. She doesn't itch a lot I don't think there's an infection, she has a lot of red spots or scratches on her tummy and sometimes I'm not sure if its from natural causes or if she gets red spots on her tummy from some sort of infection. I can go a long time without bathing her or bath her every day it doesn't matter to her skin. I'm going to buy a new sensitive shampoo for her but does anyone have any ideas if this is just normal for some dogs?
shazamataz
Aug 5, 2010, 01:11 AM
How is her weight?
Thyroid problems can cause fluctuations in weight as well as hair loss.
But then again so can stress, without a vet visit there really isn't a yes or no answer.
Give a medicated shampoo a try for the spots. Triocil or Malaseb are really good but I'm not sure if they are available in the US.
Just look for a shampoo that treats both bacterial and fungal infections.
O_Troubles
Aug 10, 2010, 11:20 PM
I think last time she was weighed she was 52 pounds but it goes up and down I feed her wet food a lot to get her fat but she loses the weight fast with exercise. She is high energy and if I take her for runs and don't feed her wet food she gets skinny and with wet food I think its stable she also won't eat unless I'm home or my roommates... people she trusts. I'm in canada I'm going to try a better shampoo but I just get worried I want to make sure I don't have a bald dog hahah
Emily94
Aug 13, 2010, 05:18 PM
Just thought I'd point out were both from Manitoba :)
Anyway, try taking her to a vet.. If you don't mind telling me (you could PM me) where you live I can point you in the direction of some great vets! Also, please don't bath her to often.. it dries out the coat. Could she have mange?
O_Troubles
Sep 1, 2010, 10:11 PM
I go to st.v vet hospital. Its really nice and my dog is super scared of people and they accommodate her. I try no to bath to often and I got a aloe moisturizing shampoo, and I noticed there's less flaking. I'm also giving her a lot more wet food. I normally do to make her fat but I got her dog gravy. She seems better and I doubt its mange. Its not that bad and she lives with another dog he's fine and her dog friends have nothing. I got her from whs she was fine there and I got her jan of 2010
Alty
Sep 1, 2010, 11:21 PM
noticed there's less flaking.
Flaky skin is a symptom of a thyroid condition. It can also cause hair loss and may also be why her weight fluctuates.
I'd get a blood test done to rule that out.
I can't say for sure though, only a blood test can confirm it, so please don't take this as a diagnosis because I really can't offer one, only a guess.